High winds cause power outages

Thousands of Xcel Energy customers in the Texas Panhandle lost power Saturday because of high wind gusts, said Xcel spokesman Wes Reeves.

Sarah Johnson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Amarillo, said a cold front situated on top of the area led to the wind gusts that exceeded 50 mph Saturday. The wind conditions left about 1,500 to 2,000 customers with power outages, Reeves said.

The outages were scattered — including Boys Ranch, Canyon, Fritch and Pampa — but were not widespread, he said.

“It’s what’s to be expected on a day like this,” Reeves said. “We’re staying on top of it.”

Nearly every community in the Panhandle experienced an outage Saturday, but they were minor incidents, he said. Lines contacted other lines or trees, but none were down, he said.

“It’s harder to deal with because there are so many causes, instead of having one cause when a single line is down,” he said.

Some customers were without power for about two to three hours, and some for more, he said.